He can't leave
by Shidoni8
Summary: Knuckles thinks about why he can't leave the master emerald to be with Rouge, I dont know what genre to put this in, so just general, please R&R!New version, all I did was add a disclaimer.


"I hate it," he thought to himself, "I hate this so much, I can't do anything and I am so bored."

"It's a new day but it is just the same as the day before," he said out loud to no one, "_they _seemed not to mind it, but I do." Knuckles the echidna, guardian of the master emerald, last remaining echidna of a once powerful tribe who devoted whole existences to guarding the burdensome thing, sat on the shrine of the floating island by the huge gleaming gem.

He had spent his whole life, except a few wild excursions, on this floating rock, and living here just made him see that he didn't like it here art all. Ever since he had met Rouge the bat he did not seem content here doing nothing all the time. It felt more like a jail cell, keeping him locked up for no reason.

He would admit he had feelings for Rouge, strong feelings, more than that, he loved her dearly, and they had gone out a couple of times, but it seemed that as long as he was tied to the master emerald they could never be a committed couple. Rouge did not want to stay on the island, she needed more action in her life, she had said she understood about the way he had to stay and guard it, but he knew she did not really understand how he could value the emerald over her.

But he didn't, he had begun to mope around the floating island, filling up time he was bored, hours no longer seeming as full of purpose as they once were, just thinking about her, and how he had not seen her in months. Her lips, her to-die-for figure, and her saucy-sweet attitude he loved the most.

Knuckles didn't want to be like the guardians before him, he didn't want to spend his whole life guarding it, and then he would die with no pure echidna heirs, unlike the others. There were no other echidnas, and leaving an echidna/bat to guard the emerald after him seemed so ridiculous, he couldn't imagine. He wasn't about to waste his whole life on what they would want him to do. No, he wouldn't be just like them, tormented, all his life by what he couldn't do.

Knuckles knew he would probably dishonor his whole race before him by taking off and leaving it, but, they were dead, what did he care? But Rouge was alive, she loved him and he loved her, and they couldn't be together because of a dumb gem, because of the restrictions it implied on him?

After all it would just be left alone when he passed away, whether he watched it or not, left guardianless, so why did it matter if he lived his life the way he wanted to, why expect so much of him? To stay put all his life when he was driven mad by love of what could never be under these circumstances?

But, as he tossed a rock off the edge of the island, knowing it to have a long fall ahead of it, a voice nagged him in his head.

"What about the consequences for everyone else?" it said in his ear, it's whisper of truth piercing him. "With the emerald unguarded anyone could take it, even Eggman, use it for anything. They could take over the world, and the emerald would not be able to control the power of the chaos." The voice spoke nothing but truth, no lies, the nagging voice never lies. "How would your life with Rouge be if Eggman controlled the world and you were all his slaves? Watching her and yourself waste away under the close watch of Eggman's legion of robots?"

"Sonic would save us, I don't have to have anything to do with the emerald if I don't want to!" Knuckles countered the voice.

"You're wrong again, has he ever saved us all with out you as an aide when the master emerald was involved? You've always helped return it to it's place and keep watch over it, with out you we'd all be doomed; you, all your friends, and Rouge."

"SHUT UP!" Knuckles screamed to the voice, wishing it was not just a voice so he could punch it hard, "Just Shut up, I can do anything I want to!" he yelled some more. He knew he sounded so selfish, like a child throwing a tantrum, he didn't care. He shut out the voice, denying what it said.

"Why," he thought, "why can't I just leave? I'll leave it anyway, some day, not by my own choice, I will die one day. Then it will be alone, if I left it would just happen sooner."

"WHY?" he screamed into the night, his throat raw, frustrated and anguished.

Then he realized something, "I have to, it is my duty, protecting the emerald keeps others safe, keeps their lives happy and who am I to take that away so I can be happy with Rouge, only to ruin the world, the balance of power?

"I may not be happy with it, but I have to," Knuckles was ashamed to realize how selfish he had been, his pride dented, almost crushed. Never could he be with Rouge, it wasn't meant to be. He settled down against the stone of the altar and as the sky clouded and rain began to fall from the sky salty tears leaked from his eyes. Still crying silently, a look of resigned sadness on his face, He fell asleep on the hard stone while the rain that drenched his fur ran in rivets down his face, and mingled with his tears.


End file.
